Thermionic-tube holder



March 3, 1931. w, w, ROBINSON 1,794,984

THERMIONIC TUBE HOLDER Filed June 20, 1927 Patented Mar. 3, 1931 WALTERw. ROBINSON,

OF' BELOIT, WISCONSIN THEBHIONIC-TUBE HOLDER i Application tiled June20,

These improvements relate to holders for v thermionic tubes. The objectof the invention is to provide notably simple, cheap and effective meansfor holding the tube for completing circuits through the electrodeterminals.v Y

, In the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, Figure 1 showsthe construction in top plan view asv applied to what may beconsideredfor example a baseboard of a radio receiving set; Figs. 2 and3 are sectional views on the lines 2-2 and 3 3 respectively of Fig. .1;Fig. 4 is a bottom plan View of the construction of Fig. 1; and Fig. 5is a fragmentary bottom view with the contact member removed.

v .The baseboard 10 may terial,l but it may also be of metal. It isprovided -with a relatively large opening 11 on circular lines exceptthat at diametrically opposite places' 12 I prefer to leave indentationsto accommodate the rivets 13 in-order to reduce size and savematerial ofparts held thereby.

Figs. 2 and 3 show that a little larger than and covering the opening 11is a piece of sheet insulating material 14- the shape of which is shownin Fig.'4. Where the baseboard is of insulating material this element 14might be omitted n some constructions, but it is preferably employed soas to cover the otherwise exposed parts of the contact members, toprovide better finish, and to provide a plate throu h whichdefinitely-sized holes may be made or the tube terminals. A group offour relatively small holes 15 (Fig. 1) are formed in the insulation 14,which holes respectively accommodate the grouped electrode terminalswhich as is well understood, are in the form of pins projecting inparallel arrangement from the base of the tube and may vary in diameterto determine the proper orientation of the tube inthe device.

On the insulation 14 is positioned another piece of sheet 'insulatingmaterial 20 the shape of which suitably conforms to that of theinsulation14, as shown by Fig. 4, butl it is preferably slightlysmaller. This iece 20 may be of hard rubber, fibre or other ard beofinsulating ma- 1927. Serial No. 200,063.

and strong sheet insulating material. Four holes 21, elongated outwardlyas shown by Fig. 5, are made in the sheet 20, the inner ends of whichregister with the respective holes in the part 14, or conform to thegroup arrangement of the tube terminals, whereby the electrode terminalpins may pass `through both the plates 14 and 20. The outer wall 22,Fig. 5,' of each of the elongated holes 21 is formed on straight-acrosslilies to provide a good seat for the spring member associated with it.These elongated holes are directed toward and come substantially closeto marginal portions of the plate 20.

Fig. 3 shows how the leaf spring contact members 23 are bent yto providea leaf 24 extending normally downward and inward into the vpath of thetube terminal, the metal passing through the elongated hole 21 and incontact with the edge 22 of the plate'20 (Fig. 5), passing thence aroundmarginal parts of the plate 2O and being crimped tightly upon the upperand lower surfaces thereof, the spring material extendin thence downwardand outward again to ing end 25 forming a recess 26 adapted toaccommodate a wire end for attachment to this spring contact element 23.may be pressed tightly upon a wire as 30 and solder applied. Each of thefour contact members 24 is formed and held in place in the manner justdescribed.

All of the holes mentioned, whether in the base-board or in the otherelements, may be made by punching, and, with respect to each piece, by asingle operation. In my practice the spring members are formed bymachinery and are crimped upon the member 20 around the marginal edge atthe openings 21 respectively by means of a power press, and thesemembers are thus held together very rigidly. The arrangement ofthecontact members shown is advantageous from the standpoint ofmanufacture. As noted from the draw ings, which are substantiallyspring'members 24 have substantial Width and will have such suitablethickness as ten to fifteen one-thousandths of an inch when made offairly hard brass, German silver or the like.

orm a projectto scale, the

This free end 25 l g tion particularly designed for application to theunder surface of the base,

` base, said plate having a plurality a feature which isnot broadly newat this time.

The device is remarkably cheap in con- `struction and assembly, and isstrong and durable and highly serviceable. I

I contemplate as being included herein such variations and departuresfrom what is thus specifically illustrated and described as fall withinthe'scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a tube holder of the character described, the combination with abase of sheet material having a relatively large opening therethrough,of an insulating plate larger than and overlying said opening and beingrigidly secured to the under surface of the of relatively smalllopenings therethrough and located within the area of the base openingsfor receiving tube electrode terminals,v a leaf spring contact memberycrimped tightly upon said plate around the marginal edge thereof and attop and bottom of the plate adjacent to each of said relatively smallopenings, saidy contact members extending into the paths of the tubeterminals through said plate openings respectively, said contact membershaving means respectively for wire attachment thereto.

2. In a tube holder of the character described, the combination with abase of sheet material having a relatively large opening therethrough,of an insulating plate rigidly secured to the under surface of the base,said plate having a plurality of relatively small openings therethroughwithinthe area` of the base opening for receiving tube electrodeterminals, said small openings being elongated openings respectivelyvand being crimped u on the upper and lower surfaces o p ate, and beingformed at the outer free ends respectively with means for wireattachment, another piece of sheet .insulating material covering saiding a group of holes therethrough and registering with said other holesrespectively for Athe pin terminals, and means for holding said piecestogether for application to a support.

' 4. In -a tube holder lof the character def the` first-mentioned pieceand havscribed the combination 'of a plate-like piece ofinsulatingmaterial having an opening therethrough for a tube terminal, and acontact member of thin spring metal having a part thereof crimpedtightly around an edge of the plate-like piece and upon'both sidesthereof adj acent to said opening and being in tight engagement withsaid plate-like piece at an edge thereof partly defining said opening,said contact member having an integral leaf spring element passingthrough said opening and being formed and arranged to make contact witha pin-like terminal passing Athrough said opening.

WALTER W. ROBINSON.

in the outward direction and terminating adjacent to a marginal edge ofsaid plate, and a continuous leaf spring contact member crimped tightlyuponupper and lower surfaces of said plate and around the marginal edgethereof at each of said small openings and extending into the paths ofthe tube terminal through said plate openings respectively, each of saidspring members having means for Awire attachment thereto.

3. A tube holding member adapted'to be secured upon a support andcomprising a piece of insulating sheet material having a group of holestherethrough for grouped pinlike tube terminals, said holes beingelongated toward and approaching close to marginal edges of the plate,and leaf spring contact members passing through said openingsrespectively and directed inwardly to engage tubev terminalsrespectively and passing around marginal material of the plate at the

